Manchester United forward Gabriele Biancheri has been called up to the Wales U21 squad ahead of their qualifier against Denmark.
Earlier this year, Biancheri was invited to be a training player with Canada ahead of their Canadian Shield Friendly tournament.
After being with the Canadians, Wales U21 manager Matty Jones held meetings with Biancheri, and he is confident that he will stay put with Wales for the foreseeable future.
“It’s been a fascinating journey for Gabe,” he said.
“He’s come through the system with us, but we know there’s always tension with dual-qualified players, and there will be some difficult times for them through their progression in our pathway.
“We do encourage our younger players to have those experiences to help them make their decisions. We always feel fully confident in our environment and how it should feel like to represent your country, and we’ve had a great success in players choosing to play for Wales having been elsewhere.
“Gabe was actually on the EFL camp when he got the call, and it’s something he felt like he needed to explore, and all we could do is support him. I’ve had two meetings with him since he’s come back, and he was saying it was a positive experience, but it wasn’t Wales, and that gave us the confidence to select him back into our environment. He’s itching to go.”
Cymru Premier callups
CARDIFF, WALES. - 17TH JULY 2025:
Penybont goalkeeper Luke Armstrong takes a free kick.
Penybont v Kauno Žalgiris in the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round at Cardiff International Sports Campus on the 17th July 2025. (Pic by Lewis Mitchell/FAW)
CARDIFF, WALES. – 17TH JULY 2025: Penybont goalkeeper Luke Armstrong takes a free kick. Penybont v Kauno Žalgiris in the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round at Cardiff International Sports Campus on the 17th July 2025. (Pic by Lewis Mitchell/FAW)
Cymru Premier fans will see two familiar faces in the latest U21 squad, with Luke Armstrong of Penybont and Kit Margetson of Connah’s Quay making up two of the three goalkeeping spots.
Along with Evan Watts, who is currently on loan at Galway United, all three keepers are getting regular first team minutes at senior level, and that’s something Jones is pleased with.
“We’ve been actively working for a number of years to put our goalkeeping department in a healthy position. The fact that we’ve been able to select these three, and have Lewys Benjamin as a fourth option too, is brilliant.
“It’s an exciting area and it’s one I feel most confident in right now, which hasn’t been the case for four years. It will only bode well for us going forward, because we want to fast track and project these players to the national team as quickly as possible.
“This is something that’s been ongoing in the background for numerous years, because I always felt like it was an area that was letting us down and we all knew the concerns over who will fill the boots.
“Karl Darlow and Danny Ward have come along and have done incredibly well, but we have to think about who’s next.”
Bright Future
CESKE BUDEJOVICE, CZECHIA - 13 October 2023:
Wales’ Luke Harris and Cian Ashford during the qualifying round match against Czechia U21
(Pic by Pavel Lebeda/sport-pics.cz)
CESKE BUDEJOVICE, CZECHIA – 13 October 2023: Wales’ Luke Harris and Cian Ashford during the qualifying round match against Czechia U21 (Pic by Pavel Lebeda/sport-pics.cz)
This U21 team certainly features plenty of recognisable names.
The likes of Cian Ashford and Joel Colwill have been getting regular minutes for Cardiff City, Callum Agius is a Crewe Alexandra regular, while the likes of Luke Harris have had experiences with Craig Bellamy in the senior team.
However, despite this U21 team possessing a lot of talent, their route to the Euros will be tricky. Top-seeded Denmark will be Wales’ first opponents, with Belgium, Austria and Belarus making up the rest of a challenging group.
All this being said, Jones doesn’t fear any opponent and is instead relishing the challenge of facing off against some of Europe’s most established football nations.
“What we’ve done, and certainly we did this in the last campaign, was give the players belief that they can compete with anyone. Now they go on the pitch knowing it’s not just done with heart and desire, but it’s about the talent and quality that we’ve got in this squad.
“It’s a reunion with the Danes in a way because our first game of the last campaign was against them. This is a new and fresh group that we’ve got this time around, and while it is really exciting, it’s part and parcel of youth football.
“Denmark is an exciting opportunity for this group and for us as a staff. Playing them, Belgium and Austria are a great experience for our lads and a great test for me as a manager.”
(Featured Image: Sam Eaden/FAW)
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